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NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans and Louisiana-based Smoothie King have reached a 10-year agreement to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said such a deal had been a "gigantic" piece of owner Tom Bensons business plan since he bought the long-struggling small-market franchise from the NBA in the spring of 2012. "Finding a naming rights partner was key to the long-term financial viability of this franchise in this market," Lauscha said. Benson, who has owned the Saints since 1985, purchased citys NBA franchise — formerly called the Hornets — for $338 million and has consolidated the headquarters and many of the business operations of both clubs. The hope was that with the two franchises sharing resources and cross-promoting one another, the region could better support two major professional sports teams. Officials with both the club and Smoothie King declined to release financial terms of the deal, which also gives Smoothie King an option for a 10-year extension. Smoothie King owner Wan Kim said sponsoring an NBA arena in New Orleans helps his company demonstrate its commitment to the community where it is based while promoting its brand globally. Smoothie King, founded in suburban New Orleans in 1973, has 674 locations in 31 states and in Asia, and is looking to expand both nationally and overseas, Smoothie King President Tom OKeefe said. Of 30 NBA cities, 21 currently have Smoothie King franchises, he said. The arena is officially being renamed on Thursday, in time for next weeks NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans. Kim, a native of South Korea who attended college and business school in the United States, bought the company in July 2012. He said he initially considered moving its headquarters to Atlanta or Dallas. "I started to realize a lot of people who live in New Orleans, for them, its very difficult to leave the city," Kim said. "Its a very different city. Its very unique, culturally, and I did start to see why people didnt want to move. "At the same time, I did feel our root is here and I shouldnt give up on that," Kim said. "Not only did we decide not to move out, but we are pretty much telling you (with the naming rights deal) that our group is here and we are sticking with it." As part of the agreement, Smoothie King will be airing commercials during Pelicans broadcasts, as well as sponsoring pregame and postgame segments. The companys smoothies will also be available at concession stands around the arena. Team officials said there were "two or three" other candidates for a naming rights deal, but that Smoothie Kings interests seemed most aligned with the Bensons goals of promoting the business climate in his home state. "Theres no more perfect story to say how businesses can root themselves in New Orleans and grow," said Rita Benson LeBlanc, Bensons granddaughter and a part owner of the Pelicans and Saints. She added that the agreement is "a testament to how New Orleans has recovered (from Hurricane Katrina) and how Louisiana is redefining itself as an economic development engine." The deal might have been completed before this season began, but because Smoothie King products contain nutritional supplements, NBA rules required that all of the companys products be tested to ensure there were no banned substances. LeBlanc said that process took about eight months. "We couldnt have any question as to what are the contents of the products that Smoothie King actually offers," LeBlanc said. Tarik Cohen Bears Jersey .Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react. Roquan Smith Jersey . Thats exactly what happened. And they enjoyed every moment. Durant remained sizzling with 33 points, Serge Ibaka added 22 and the Thunder roared back from an abysmal start -- they trailed 22-4 early -- to embarrass the Miami Heat 112-95 on Wednesday night, erasing that big deficit out of the gate by outscoring the two-time defending champions by 43 points over a 33-minute span. http://www.chicagobearfootballauthentic.com/authentic-dick-butkus-bears-jersey/ . Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Buddy Robinson scored 43 seconds apart in the second period to lead the Binghamton Senators to a 4-1 victory over the Bulldogs in American Hockey League action Friday night at the Bell Centre. David Montgomery Womens Jersey .Y. - Joe Johnson hit six 3-pointers in his 27 points, Mason Plumlee added 18 points, and the Brooklyn Nets won their 11th straight at home, beating the Boston Celtics 114-98 Friday night. Khalil Mack Youth Jersey .ca. Hi Mr. Fraser, When I was watching the Heritage Classic in Vancouver there was a play midway through the third where Ottawa crashed the Canucks net and it came off its moorings.PARIS - Eugenie Bouchard raced into the French Open quarterfinals by beating eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-1, 6-2 in 52 minutes on Sunday. The 18th-seeded Canadian wasted no time, opening up a 5-0 lead in just 16 minutes. The Montreal native, who reached the Australian Open semifinals this year, next plays either No. 14-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain or the unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic. They were playing later Sunday. "I just felt good out there, I executed my game plan really well, so Im happy with that," said Bouchard. "There are always things to improve, and Im just going to focus on that tomorrow and try to do even better my next match." Kerber, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros two years ago, made a string of unforced errors and Bouchard broke for a 2-1 lead in the second set when Kerber returned long from the back of the court. Trailing 5-2, Kerber played with the strings of her racket as she hunched forward on her chair, her head bowed. Bouchard, by contrast, sat upright, taking a few deep breaths to compose herself before serving out the match. She clinched victory on her first match point when Kerber — a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist — made another unforced error, this time as her wild forehand sailed out. "Im confident and I really believe in my skills. I believe I can play with the best girls out there,&" Bouchard said.dddddddddddd. "Shes top 10, so I respect her. She can play some really good tennis. I was really mentally prepared for anything, for a battle." With the top three womens seeded players out, Maria Sharapova remains the favourite to win the tournament for the second time. The seventh-seeded Russian later played Samantha Stosur. Bouchard`s dominant victory over Kerber stretched her winning streak to nine straight matches — the longest of her career. And it lifted her career record against top 10 opponents to 5-10. Her victims this season have also included No.10 Sara Errani at Indian Wells in March and No.8 Jelen Jankovic last April in Charleston. Mens eighth seed Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., was attempting to join Bouchard in the last eight as he faced Spains Marcel Granollers. Raonic is the first Canadian man to play in the fourth round at Roland Garros. In mens fourth-round action later Sunday, second-seeded Novak Djokovic was playing No. 13-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; fourth-seeded Roger Federer took on Ernests Gulbis; and sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych faced No. 10-seeded John Isner. There were two third-round matches remaining, with seventh-seeded Andy Murray and No. 28 Philipp Kohlschreiber deep into a fifth set, and No. 12-seeded Richard Gasquet up against Fernando Verdasco. --- With files from The Canadian Press ' ' '